The Premier League returns this afternoon and with it comes the start of the RG Fantasy League competition.

This season The Royal Gazette has teamed up with BermudAir to provide a host of fantastic prizes for Arne Slot, Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola wannabes who have until 2.30pm, an hour and a half before champions Liverpool kick off the season at home to Bournemouth, to register your teams for free.

As always there are plenty of questions for you to ponder, particularly in the final two phases of the pitch.

Can Mohamed Salah, at the age of 33, continue to put in the same performances that brought him a record-breaking score of 344 points in the competition last season?

Will Viktor Gyökeres prove a fantasy snip at £9 million and be the 20-goal striker Arsenal have desperately needed? Or will he flop and Manchester United return to the top four, thanks to newcomers Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Benjamin Sesko?

It’s worth noting that outfield players will be rewarded for their defensive contributions this season.

Any defender who reaches a combined total of ten clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles in a single match will score two fantasy points. For midfielders and forwards, in addition to their clearances, blocks, interceptions and tackles, their “ball recoveries” will count towards their total of defensive contributions. They have to make 12 defensive contributions to earn their two fantasy points, instead of ten.

Today

Liverpool v Bournemouth (4pm)

The champions will be surely licking their lips at the prospect of taking on Bournemouth after they sold first-choice defenders Illia Zarbanyi (PSG), Dean Huijsen (Real Madrid) and Milos Kerkez (Liverpool).

Kerkez will probably feature against his former side in the company of new signings Jeremie Frimpong and Florian Wirtz, whom Liverpool will hope can take over the mantle of chief provider from the departed Trent Alexander-Arnold.

It will take a brave manager to select any Bournemouth player who plays deeper than central midfield, but striker Evanilson could well be going under the radar. He costs just £7 million but scored ten Premier League goals in his first season in England, and better can be expected this time.

Prediction: 2-0

Saturday

Aston Villa v Newcastle United (8.30am)

Two European contenders go at it on the opening weekend, but it would be going some to include Newcastle star Alexander Isak. The Sweden striker has been training on his own as he looks to move away from the club and will probably not be involved. With injury doubts over Anthony Gordon, the only Newcastle men to consider this week may be newcomer Anthony Elanga, while Bruno Guimarães is again certain to rack up the points.

The home side have not been particularly busy in the transfer market, other than selling homegrown product Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle for £43 million, and doubts persist about the future of goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, but they do have a gem in Morgan Rogers, who was the seventh-highest scoring midfielder in last season.

Prediction: 1-0

Brighton & Hove Albion v Fulham (11am)

Brighton’s transfer policy struck gold again when they sold João Pedro to Chelsea for £60 million and they have replaced him by splashing out £31.4 million on one of Europe’s hottest young strikers, 18-year-old Charalampos Kostoulas. He is one to watch in the opening few weeks as a potential cheap transfer.

It may surprise a few to learn that Alex Iwobi was Fulham’s highest scorer in the Fantasy League last season with 156 points, but Raúl Jiménez is their main man. He scored 12 goals and accrued 147 points despite missing nearly a quarter of the season through injury.

Prediction: 3-0

Sunderland v West Ham United (11am)

Newly promoted Sunderland have gone for it this summer, signing 11 new players and spending more than £130 million. Their standout new name, Granit Xhaka, should be familiar to most fantasy managers, but be wary of his disciplinary record.

West Ham could well struggle again this season, but in Jarrod Bowen they have the sixth-highest scorer in the fantasy league last season. New 20-year-old left back El Hadji Malick Diouf could provide regular assists if his preseason form continues.

Prediction: 1-1

Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley (11am)

Tottenham squandered a two-goal lead when losing on penalties against Paris Saint-Germain in the European Super Cup on Wednesday night, but it is clear they will be more defensively sound this season. Fully fit central defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero should be considered for any team, while goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and midfielder Mohammed Kudus should also provide value.

Despite signing 12 new players, Burnley probably lost their best this summer when goalkeeper James Trafford returned to Manchester City. Signing Kyle Walker looks desperate and their top player is likely to be midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, but he was relegated while on loan to Southampton last season

Prediction: 2-0

Wolverhampton Wanderers v Manchester City (1.30pm)

Wolves have lost arguably their best two players in Matheus Cunha (Manchester United) and Rayan Ait-Nouri, who joined this weekend’s opponents. Despite their struggles, it may still pay to look at Wolves defenders under new coach Vitor Pereira, as they went from conceding 2.5 goals per game and having no clean sheets to averaging 1.2 goals conceded and keeping eight clean sheets last season.

Manchester City will surely improve on last season’s points total, easing Rodri back into their midfield after injury. A recent setback in his recovery means he will not feature until after the first international window in September. Winger Omar Marmoush impressed in his debut season, with Rayan Cherki also a new asset, but their “new Kevin de Bruyne” could be Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders, who could prove a fantasy snip at just £5.5 million. Phil Foden is a doubt for this match through injury

Prediction: 1-2

Sunday

Chelsea v Crystal Palace (10am)

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca has plenty of choice, but the World Club Cup gave us an insight into his thinking. Cole Palmer, João Pedro, Reece James, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernández look certain starters, with Jamie Gittens probably getting the nod on the right wing. Defender Levi Colwill is out for the season.

Crystal Palace won the FA Cup Final and Community Shield, and in Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta, Adam Wharton and Marc Guehi, they have players all over the pitch who can score points. Guehi, in particular, looks a steal at £4.5 million, especially with rumours surrounding a potential move to a big club.

Prediction: 3-0

Nottingham Forest v Brentford (10am)

Chris Wood had the highest conversion rate of any striker in the Premier League last season and goalkeeper Matz Selz had the best shot-stopping percentage. Those two stats cannot continue and Morgan Gibbs-White clearly wants to leave ,so Nottingham Forest are likely to finish closer to the relegation zone than the Champions League places this year.

The same will apply to Brentford, who have appointed a rookie coach in Keith Andrews and lost key men Bryan Mbeumo, Mark Flekken and Christian Norgaard. Their best remaining player, Yoane Wissa, is also reportedly on the verge of leaving.

Prediction: 1-1

Manchester United v Arsenal (12.30pm)

The biggest game of the weekend and the first test of Manchester United’s new forward line, which is likely to consist of some combination of Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo backed up by Bruno Fernandes. That looks potent but with no major changes in midfield or defence, it is hard to see the clean sheets coming.

Arsenal defenders provide plenty of points from set-pieces and clean sheets, and Viktor Gyökeres is likely to hit some big numbers as the Gunners attempt to get over the line in the total race.

Prediction: 1-2

Monday

Leeds United v Everton (4pm)

Leeds have a great chance to stay up given their Championship record, and the first couple of weeks will be key in identifying players worthy of drafting into your starting XI.

David Moyes was on record a couple of weeks ago saying that he needed ten new players, which is hardly a ringing endorsement to select Everton players in your side. He does have Jordan Henderson, the competition’s top goalkeeper last season, and the season-long loan signing of Jack Grealish from Manchester City — but Everton could struggle in their first season since leaving Goodison Park.

Prediction: 2-1

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